—— Interview with Professor Du Yuguang, Chairman of the National Sugar Bioengineering Research Group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Zhou Lanyuan, chief correspondent of Soviet newspaper stationed in Xiangcheng

 In late March, the first meeting of the Academic Committee of the Suzhou Industrial Base of the

National Research Center for Biochemical Engineering and Technology, attended by more than 10 top

biochemical experts in China, sent a message that Xiangcheng High-tech Industrial Development Zone

should be built into a "China Sugar Valley" gathering 100 billion-grade industries. During the meeting,

the reporter interviewed Du Yuguang, professor of the State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering,

Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and chairman of the SugarBioengineering

Research Group.

                                           Oligosaccharides are different from polysaccharides and monosaccharides

Professor Du openly said that when it comes to sugar, people will think of sweet glucose, sucrose and so on. In fact, they are only representatives of monosaccharides and disaccharides in the sugar family. Sugar engineering, which was born in the 1990s, is a discipline to study the structure, function, metabolic regulation and application of glycoconjugates. Like protein engineering and genetic engineering, it belongs to the category of biological science and technology. Its basic research is also called glycobiology. Sugar Bioengineering is a national "863" high-tech research and development plan supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is called the third generation of biotechnology by the scientific and technological circles. As an important part of the national economy, sugar bioengineering technology industry has been widely used in medicine, agriculture, food, chemical industry, energy, environmental protection and other fields. Some people believe that this emerging sugar bioengineering industry will become the mainstream industry in the 21st century.

Professor Du introduced that sugar biotechnology is a new frontier biotechnology emerging with the development of genetic engineering and protein engineering. On the one hand, sugar bioengineering involves the biology of sugar chains to help people explore the mysteries of life; on the other hand, based on the basic research of sugar biology, it forms some measures to improve human health, including improving agriculture, crop quality, and animal health breeding. Oligosaccharides differ from glucose in number. Oligosaccharides are monosaccharides relative to glucose. There are two sugars to a single sugars called oligosaccharides, and more than ten sugars to a polysaccharide called polysaccharides including starch. Oligosaccharides are different from polysaccharides and monosaccharides.

Professor Du told reporters that over the past decade, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has systematically and thoroughly studied chitooligosaccharides in three state-level laboratories and six provincial and ministerial laboratories of the Institute of Process Studies of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and has achieved a series of results with independent intellectual property rights. The preparation technology of chitooligosaccharides has reached the international advanced level. At the same time, the popularization of Chitosan-oligosaccharide research results in the market proves that Chitosan-oligosaccharide has rich and active biological activity, and is very effective in health food and public health.

The aim of Suzhou industrial base is to be first-class in the world.

Professor Du believes that the time has come for the industrialization of sugar bioengineering technology to expand. The National Research Center of Biochemical Engineering Technology, Institute of Process Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has chosen to establish a Suzhou industrial base in the high-tech zone of Xiangcheng, Suzhou. It is expected that the unique location advantages of Suzhou, the industrial basis of Suzhou Bioengineering and the high-tech industry of Xiangcheng will be the best. Industrial planning of the district. He said that the orientation of Suzhou industrial base is to incubate independent engineering technology, give priority to the promotion of patented products and expand the market; carry forward the advantages of engineering research and development, provide the combination of production and research, and upgrade the industrial structure. It will build a key laboratory at a national level and a project at a national level.